Legion of Dax
by AFY2018
Summary: Kara becomes the new abused assistant to the high maintenance Band Legion of Dax Songs used: Chapter 1: Bad Guy- Blanks Salvation- Stumbellas Red Flag- TM&TF New Great Depression- TM&TF Gentleman Jack- O'Hooley& Tidow Wishing Well- TM&TF Chapter 2: 17 Crimes- AFI Gentleman Jack- O'Hooley& Tidow Chapter 3: Only Just Begun- TM&TF
1. Chapter 1

"I don't mean to insubordinate you, Ms. Grant," Kara began as she stood in her boss' open office, "but I cannot work for this band. They're absolutely annoying, Jess told me before she transferred."

Cat took off her glasses and practically slammed them on her table. She looked up at her assistant, her head tilted to the side, "You are going to work for them, Kiera, or else you'll have to find a new job."

"But-"

"No, I need someone to work for them and you're the only person I can think of who could actually help me. Besides, they only have one more pass before I drop them," Cat finished, sitting back down and putting her glasses back on.

"What?" Kara asked, still standing in front of her boss.

"They only have one more pass for their juvenile games before I drop them."

"Oh, so you want me to tell you about any infractions?"

"Yes, that's what Jess and Eve did before they moved on." Cat glanced up at Kara then to her emails. "Thank you, you can leave, now."

Kara nodded and left her office, slowly meandering to her desk. She sat down, unaware that someone was talking to her until Lucy tapped her shoulder. Kara looked up at her, a feigned smile on her face.

"So, what happened?" Lucy asked from her spot across from her.

"Um… I just got transferred to assist… huh… Legion of Dax."

"Oh, well that sucks. Why?"

"Ms. Grant says that I could help her."

"Yeah, I think you just got-got, Kara."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that she short sold you into working for Legion."

Kara furrowed her brows and rolled her eyes, "I don't think she'd do that to me, she trusts me too much."

"I mean, I think it's the other way around, K."

"I don't- nevermind, what's new?"

"Honestly, just listening to demos and organizing meetings as per usual. I can't believe I went to school for this."

"You literally went to school for this, Luce," Kara smirked.

"I thought I'd be working somewhere else and not inferior to my own friend."

"Well, you might get to take over my spot when I get transferred to Legion," Kara smiled, reaching over to playfully punch her arm.

"Well, when you get big, don't forget us shining turds down here."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I won't be anything big at all," she scoffed in response.

Kara really was not excited about working for Legion. She hated their name, hated their music, and from rumors not only from her co-workers but from some fans, they were snobbish adults who acted like their target audience. Alt outcast punk teenagers. Why couldn't she work for one of their other bands like the Dreamers, a psychedelic pop group too drugged out of their minds to cause trouble or maybe Red Dust- even though they were supposedly a handful on international trips. Anything or anyone was better than having to deal with her new co-workers.

Kara was also not excited for all of the paperwork she had to fill out. While it didn't seem like it, she was filling out bureaucratic busy work for a promotion and her new pay grade. She spent her break meandering through the rows of writing that always just felt like she was restating the same information thirty times in a row before copying her ever devolving signature. She finally finished by the end of her lunch break, taking time to talk with Lucy- who had so graciously gone out to get her lunch- about the newest demos that had been filtered to them.

"Well, this is a popular sound right now," Lucy offered.

"True, but this band, Cast Iron Guards? Well, anyway, they have something I've never heard before. It's kind of weird but in a good way."

"So, which one?"

"It'll be safe to give Bloomingstein to Cat, but I'd keep an open tab on Guards," Kara told her.

"So, when do you start?"

"Oh god, don't remind me, but probably by next week," she sighed.

"What are you going to be doing for them?"

"I don't know, running around and taking calls, helping them with gigs, informing Cat? But on the upside, I do get to travel?"

"Are they touring right now?"

"Yeah, they started a week ago in Maine and are finishing in eight months somewhere on the west coast."

"Oh, so you get to go all over America with them?"

"Yeah, four strangers with a bad reputation. Sounds fun," she sarcastically remarked. "I'm gonna try to keep a positive mindset, maybe they're not so bad, but… nevermind, stay positive," she told herself.

"Well, good luck," Lucy finished as she began to collect her belongings.

"Where are you going? It's only… like, 4:45?"

"Lois needs help moving, so I'm going out early today to finish packing."

"Where's she moving?"

"Into Clark's apartment."

"What, he didn't tell me?"

"It's last minute. They're renovating her place, so they kicked out a whole floor to the newer housing, so Lois decided to move in with him. It's super last minute and super annoying," Lucy ended in an annoyed tone. "At least she learned from last time that we need to pack and then move. Huh, anyway, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Luce!"

"See ya!" she smiled as she clocked out on the main log board by the elevator.

Once her friend was gone, Kara got up and took her paperwork to the ground floor where their mailing room was. She looked at her papers, making sure every line was filled in properly and legibly before stepping off to the first floor. Kara looked at the first receptionist at her desk, giving her a simple wave before heading to the mailing room. Logan sat in his chair, spinning around a bit as he played a hard rock playlist from Spotify.

"Hey, Logan," Kara called over the music. He lowered the volume and turned around, "can I get an envelope and a stamp? I'm sending in some paperwork."

"Sure thing, some more bureaucratic bullshit?"

"Yup."

"So, who's it for?"

"Me."

"Really?" he asked when he handed her the supplies.

"Yeah," she huffed, going to the printer and inputting the writing for the envelope, "Yeah, I get to assist a band now."

"Which one?"

"Legion of Dax."

"Cool, I love their music. You ever listen to them?"

"No," she sneered with one eyebrow perked up. "They aren't really my scene."

"Really, I thought you liked alt music? Anyway, let me pull 'em up, they're not bad," he smiled, leaning over his computer and switching playlists to their latest album. "They're touring right now… Blood River Tour. They decided to just name it after the album," he told her when the first song finally started playing.

While the printer did its job, Kara listened to the first song. The start was three echoing notes from a synth that quietly broke out into a steady beat accompanied by the same synth before picking up even more. The lead singer broke through with smooth vocals that flaunted over the gentle music. Every few moments a woman's voice would take the higher notes for the harmony while a deeper voice took the lower part. They had a more vintage sound to them than she thought- especially considering the title of the album.

The sound echoed out and then seemed to begin again with a new synth playing three longer and more condensed tones with a more modern drum and guitar playing. The lower singer began singing with the mid-range singer playing around his vocals. The song's tone was sadder than the one before. It was pained, regretful, and weak. She really loved the song. It had a unique sound and a beautiful tone from the singer and the instruments.

Unlike the one from before, the song just died out before the next one began. It had a tambourine and a few various vocals harmonizing before the mid-range vocals began. It was a very upbeat song with sad lyrics. This track was also really good, Kara was surprised that the first three songs were already so great. The singer had an interesting sound to his voice, it was an unfamiliar accent to the way he sang out certain words like "Dead", "Head", and "Life". It ended fairly abruptly before the title song played.

This song began with a guitar before the other instruments were added. The lower vocals began very quickly for this sad song. It had a quick pace but the lyrics were very sad. He sang to the top and bottom of his range, freely letting the notes ring out at the last beat.

Logan stopped the song and turned to Kara, "So, what do you think?"

Kara nodded and smiled, "I have to admit, they do sound really good."

"So, you want me to take that for you?"

"Oh, yeah," Kara nodded, filling the envelope, sealing it, and placing a stamp on it. "Thank you, have a nice day, Logan."

"See you around," he waved.

Kara nodded and went back up to the top floor of CatCo Music. People started flooding out of the elevators as the workday ended. Kara found her way through the organized mess back up to her office so she could close out and finally end her day there. She grabbed her bag and jogged out of the building to the B6 stop, preparing to jump out on and off two more routes to get back home. She shoved her way off of the first bus, pushing people who were trying to get on before walking to the next station. Kara walked to the next stop and climbed onto the bus before the doors closed. Her phone buzzed in her pocket as she swiped her bus card, holding onto one of the railings. She looked down at the text.

"Alex; I'm at your place with take-out and a movie"

Kara unlocked her phone and quickly texted back with one hand, "Sweet, see you in ten."

She locked her phone again and continued to watch for her stop. It took a while for her to finally get back to her apartment, so to make up a few seconds, Kara raced up the steps and to her fifth-floor apartment. She unlocked the door and tossed her stuff onto the kitchen island. Alex stood up and walked over to her sister.

"Hey, how was work?" she asked, embracing her.

"Good, I'm transferring to a different assistant job next week."

"Really? Where to?"

"I'll be working for one of the bands we produce. Legion of Dax."

"Sounds like fun!"

"Well, I'm the third assistant of their contract."

"Is that unusual?"

"It only happens when an assistant either moves on or if the band is a problem."

"So by your enthusiasm, they're a problematic band?"

"Yeah."

"So, what do they do?"

"They're known to party really hard almost every night, they made Eve and Jess run around to do knit picky tasks, and they're known to be absolutely rude to their fans," Kara explained, slumping down next to Alex on the couch.

"So why did you agree to work for them?" she asked opening up the styrofoam take out boxes.

"I wasn't allowed to turn it down."

"What band did you get?"

"Legion of Dax. Their music isn't bad, but their reputation is. I'm just not excited to work for them. Let's just eat and watch whatever you brought," Kara huffed.

She pulled out the box of potstickers and sat back while Alex played the movie. They spent the night watching the dramedy and finished the night with a few beers before finally crashing on the couch, Alex sprawled out on the floor after getting kicked off by Kara in her sleep. They spent until the early hours of Saturday morning asleep before escaping out of the apartment for a short brunch at a small diner. When they sat down, their waitress handed them two menus.

"Could I get you two ladies started with something to drink?"

"Coffee and water," Kara asked.

"I'll just have coffee," Alex asked, watching as the waitress walked away. She opened up the value menu and asked, "So, what are you getting?"

"The Belgian waffle? I don't know. What's the cheapest thing?"

"French toast or the double stack for $2," Alex informed her, sliding the menu around.

"I'll just do the french toast then," Kara shrugged, closing it and replacing it back in the stack of menus they hadn't opened. "So, we never finished our conversation on your promotion."

"Yeah, we did."

"Um, no, we didn't," Kara smirked.

"Oh, well where did we leave off?"

"We left off on you becoming the assistant officer."

"Oh, yeah. I mean, that was really it."

"Well, when does it start?"

"In October."

"Well, and what will you do now?"

The waitress came back out with two cups of coffee and water on a small platter. She placed them down, earning a thank you from both sisters. Alex added creamer to her cup and stirred. She took a long drink from her coffee before continuing her new job requirements.

Alex slid her hand through the handle and tapped on the side of the hot ceramic cup, "The same thing but with a higher pay grade and if Yashar ever leaves for vacation, I temporarily take over."

"Wow, that sounds like a lot of work."

"Only when he takes a vacation."

Their waitress came back for their orders, listening intently for their requests before escaping back to the kitchen to get them ready. Kara went back to focusing on her coffee, taking a few sips at a time. The sisters glanced at one another, then at the patrons around them. It was just a hole in the wall really, the restaurant, and the only people who seemed to frequent it the most were them and some other much older men and couples.

After a few moments of silence, Alex asked, "Do you know what the band you'll be working for looks like?"

"Not really. I've seen a few of their album covers but I haven't really studied them."

"Well, let's look 'em up?" Alex smirked, pulling out her phone. "What's their name?"

"Legion of Dax," Kara sighed as she took another swig from her coffee cup.

"M'kay," she nodded, typing it into her phone. After a few moments of swiping, she turned the phone to her. "Here, so looks like there's four of them, three guys and a girl."

"I was listening to some of their music, it's not that bad," she admitted, "I've just heard bad stories. So, what are their names?"

"Let me check. Okay, so the woman is Lena, one with the beard is Mark, the clean-shaven one is Winn, and the drummer is James."

"Okay, anything interesting on them?"

"Um… well, why don't you get to know about them when you meet them? Wikipedia only says so much," Alex shrugged as she drank.

Their breakfast was served fairly quickly when Kara's phone began to ring. With a bit of french toast still in her mouth, she answered, with a muffled "Hello?" before swallowing and listening to the person on the other side.

"Hello, Ms. Danvers, this is Grayson Reed of Catco Music's HR department, we just wanted to let you know that your paperwork has gone through due to special requests and you'll be working for Legion of Dax on Tuesday. Your shift manager also wanted to let you know that you have Monday to gather your belongings before you leave. If you have any other questions, we will send an email with new contact info for the department you will be moved into."

"Oh, okay… thank you, Mr. Reed, that would be nice. Have a great weekend,' she nodded, eyes a bit wide from the rush of information.

"Thank you, you too, Ms. Danvers," he finished before ending the call.

"So who was that?" Alec asked, looking up from her plate.

"HR. My paperwork's done and I begin on Tuesday."

"So is that when they come through here?"

"Legion, no they're in Philadelphia so I'm probably going to get shipped off when they're ready for me," Kara shrugged. "I still don't really know what they're going to need me to do," she confessed. "But, I don't know."

As Thursday rolled over, Kara just wanted to call in sick. After getting adjusted to her new workspace, she took as long as she could before meeting the band. They had given her two days to pack for the seven-month-long tour, giving her her paperwork on her duties with the band and what both the company and her new employer required for her. From what she understood, she was in charge of contacting their gigs four days in advance to ensure their concerts, taking inventory of their instruments and roadies as well as being the liaison between them and Cat. Kara had pushed her packing until midnight the night before, a mistake she was feeling as she had to wake up for her 9:30 flight to Lexington, Kentucky. She knew she would probably be there before they were even near the airport, but that may have been for the better as she could settle down before they interrupted her peace.

In her carry on, Kara packed a travel-sized bottle of melatonin, something she knew she'd have to refill for all of the travelings. She grabbed her bags and headed out of the apartment, locking up and temporarily saying goodbye to her flat. With her duffle bag slung across her back and her carry-on placed over her shoulder, Kara jogged down the steps and to the bus stop two blocks away.

In the early morning, a half-hour before rush hour started, Kara made her way to the bus stop and held onto her belongings, hopping buses until she got to the airport. It was a good idea to leave as early as she did because once inside, she realized just how busy it was even for a Thursday morning. Kara spent the first hour of her time there just trying to get through TSA, forcing her way through the small crowd of visitors and locals in suits, traveling for business or early vacation.

Kara walked to her terminal, looking for any delays on the board. Currently, her flight was on time, which was surprising, so she sat down in the uncomfortable black seats. She pulled out her phone, flipping through the array of messages from Alex, Lucy, and Cat about her new job. From the previews, she could decipher that her sister was congratulating her and telling her to be safe. Lucy was jokingly telling her to do anything and everything while she's traveling around. Cat was asking her where her coffee was.

At the last one, Kara chuckled and set her phone back down, forgetting that she had initially opened it to listen to music. It took only a few more moments of silence, but Kara took her phone out once more and plugged in her headphones. She hadn't listened to Legion since Logan had pulled them up. She rolled her eyes and pulled up Youtube searching for their latest album, skipping past the first four songs and continued where she left off. Kara was surprised to hear the beginnings of a chipper song with a tight and short drum beat. It reminded Kara of folk music used in the south or as drinking songs in movies. The singer must have been Lena and a guest. The lyrics were funny and sarcastic, relating a story of a dapper fellow who got into trouble with everyone as a price for fun. The song was quick, only a minute and a half long before the next song began.

There was a wide variety of songs on the rest of the album. She noted the change in tone from the two alternative folk songs with Lena to the slower songs with Winn, and finally the upbeat songs with Mark. Kara's phone began to buzz with a text from an unknown source.

She read the very blunt message which read, "you're rooming with me."

Kara furrowed her brows at the words and unlocked her phone. "Who's this?"

"You're Kara Danvers right?" they texted.

"Yeah, who is this?"

"Lena," they replied. "We'll get there at 2 so you'll have the place to yourself. Can you check us in?"

"Sure. I thought you guys were getting there by 11?"

"Problems with the bus and a few crashes ahead of us."

"Okay, hopefully, see you guys by 2 then."

"Safe travels," she bade Kara, who replied the same in turn.

Kara went back to her music, switching to the same album and finishing up with the last two songs. She had to admit to herself that they were really good and that their songs had great meaning and morals to them. Once the album ended, she plugged her phone into an unused outlet as she waited for the plane to land. She turned to the window behind her as she heard a plane pull up to the terminal. It took a while, but the doors opened with people flooding out into the airport. Some people had joined her in sitting in the terminal, but only a few people were sitting near her. Since there was still a large break for the shift change on that plane and the refueling, Kara escaped to the restroom with her belongings.

Nothing woke her up from her melatonin-induced nap except the touchdown. It was a fairly rude awakening for her, but Kara gathered her belongings and waited for her turn to go. It wasn't very busy when she boarded the plane and it still wasn't when she entered the small airport. Kara just breezed through the building and rushed to grab a cab, unlocking her phone to tell her driver the address. He booked it through the semi-busy streets of Lexington until they got to the hotel. She watched as the small shops and stores she passed as they stormed through downtown reflected the history and activity of the city. There were only a few tall buildings, but so many trees and old fashioned looking buildings that housed the local shops. They ended up at the hotel- which was only three blocks away from their venue- where Kara paid her driver and took her bags to the lobby.

It wasn't necessarily grand nor was it fancy. In fact, it looked like every other Holiday Inn Express she had stayed at, save for the art on the walls that reflected the tone of the state she was currently in. Kara walked to the front desk where a small group of athletes with their coach waited. As she waited for them to be helped, she pulled out her phone and texted to her new contact. She quickly explained in shorthand how she was in the lobby and ready to check them in. Even though there was no response, Kara knew that Lena had gotten the message and they would be all ready to go to their rooms by the time they arrived.

Once the athletes gathered around their coach, who was handing out their room keys, Kara approached the desk and requested the company's rooms. She was handed three room keys and told the type of rooms for each one. Room 202 and 204 were connected with double fulls, one slightly larger than the other. The other key was room 217 which was a single full. Kara nodded and began to room 202, the smaller of the two, and set her belongings down on the bed closest to the window. It was very quiet and peaceful in the hotel room. She fell back on the bed and put her head on the fluffy pillows, falling asleep again.

It must have only been a short while but she still felt a bit more energized when someone knocked on her door. She sat up and meandered to the door, opening it to a tall man with a scruffy beard. He smiled down at Kara with a charismatic grin.

"Hey," he greeted, "Mark."

"Kara, your new assistant," she greeted back, shaking his hand. "I'll go grab your keys. I guess you boys are on the other side of this door and the other room is 217."

"M'kay, can I get my key?" he asked, with a tired smile.

"Oh yeah," she chuckled, grabbing the key cards from the dresser. "Here you go. Room 204."

"Thanks. Lena will update you with where ever Jess left off."

"Okay," she nodded as Mark walked to his room.

She poked her head out from the doorway to spot what must have been James and Winn. Kara nodded and slid back into her room. It wasn't five seconds later when a knock broke the silence again, so she slunk back over to open it. Before her, stood one of the other bandmates, Lena. She had a duffle bag next to her feet and a folder in her hands.

"Here," she nodded, handing over the hefty binder, "this was somethin' Jess put tahgether befahre she left. Welcome to the band."

Kara glanced at her with a confused look as she tried to decipher her accent. She took a few steps back and opened the white binder, skimming through the pages until she reached the end. "Thanks," she muttered, "you're Lena?"

"Yeah, and you moest be Kara."

"Yeah."

Lena set her bag at the foot of her bed and turned back to Kara, "Thank you fer checkin' us in, and sarry fahr the delay. The AC broke and we needed to fex it befahre the soehmmer came."

"Oh, and no problem," she shrugged. Kara kept the binder open and began to read it at the desk. "I'll just take care of this while you do whatever you need to, you know, do to get ready for the show."

"Thanks," Lena nodded, curling up on the bed and falling asleep.

Kara glanced over her shoulder and then turned back to the binder. Jess had really organized. Almost hyper-organized the binder. There were highlighted days with explanations for every color and a reason for each note. In the front there were calendars for every month they'd be traveling and the days they had no performances. From the looks of the calendar, most of their concerts were Wednesday through Sunday until it came to the west coast where there was a more constant stream of venues from LA to Sacramento before they went up to Ashland and Portland and finally, Seattle and Tacoma. They had twenty more venues left before they were to return to New York. Kara was glad that Jess' handwriting was easy to read as she skimmed the notes that she had left in the margins.

Kara leaned over the binder and studied the roadies for their Midwest leg of the tour. She looked over the notes, learning that Lena needs to be woken a half-hour before they leave and traditionally has a pint before she goes on stage, Mark needed to be reminded to shave an hour before they left, Winn and Jimmy like to sleep until ten minutes before they had to leave. Kara rolled her eyes and checked the time. She had an hour before she needed to talk to Mark so she went through their contacts and added them to her phone. She now understood what Jess had been talking about when she said that they were high maintenance as she read their habits and quirks. When they partied, Mark had a tendency of getting into fights with Lena in tow, James seemed to get flirty with any girl that passed his eyes, and Winn apparently was just a lightweight who usually needed someone to help him to the restroom. Kara really enjoyed reading their secrets and demeanors. From what she could tell, Jess enjoyed Lena and Mark, but had trouble getting along with James, and had to babysit Winn.

Kara almost laughed as she read Jess' annotations. She padded over to her bag and unzipped it, placing her fingers around the teeth to dampen the noise as she pulled out her toiletries. She walked to the bathroom and applied a light layer of natural-looking makeup before she texted Mark to wake up. After a few more minutes of silence, she texted him again. He quickly responded with an "I'm up". Kara let out a small huff and walked back to her bag, pulling out a fresh outfit. She looked back at the binder and flipped to the section Jess had made about the stage set up. Apparently, it was Kara's job to get everything in place at least a half-hour before soundcheck so it would be easier on them. Their venue was at a local "All-Ages" bar that had a small stage and they were allowed to set up an hour before the soundcheck at five o'clock.

Kara waited for the minutes to tick down before she went over to wake Lena. Kara sat next to Lena's form and slowly pushed her awake. Lena stirred a bit but didn't wake up.

She rolled her eyes, muttering to herself, "I can't believe this is my- huh. Lena," she politely began, "wake up." She turned away from Kara and let out a small huff. "Lena," Kara repeated in a firmer and louder tone, "wake up, you need to get ready."

"All right, I'm up," she drowsily whined. "What time is it?"

"About 4:30."

"Okay, thanks," she nodded, sitting up.

Kara rested on her bed, pulling out her phone and called the group in contact with their roadies. As she contacted them, Lena fixed her hair and began her makeup routine. Luthor was a bit sad that Jess had left, but only a bit. They had had a strained relationship, only really getting along when she was sober. She sometimes thought that Jess was too prude and tended to meddle in their fun. Whenever they tried to have fun and bond as a crew, she would always be there to ruin their moments, but she was a great band assistant-manager for them. Even better than Eve. Lena was a bit excited to get to meet their new assistant and found her selflessness to be a good start to fitting in with the rest of the crew. Kara seemed ready to help everyone and- from the conversation she could hear through the bathroom wall- was quick on getting in contact with their roadies. Lena peeked out of the bathroom to the clock, she had fifteen minutes before they had to leave.

"Hey, I'm gonna go wake up your driver and the boys. What's his name?" Kara quickly asked, foot halfway out of the room.

"Terrance," Lena nodded, putting on finishing powder.

Kara nodded and knocked on the boy's door next to them. Mark with a white tank top and dark red joggers. She nodded to the sleeping boys on the beds, "It's time for them to get ready. I'm gonna go wake up Terrance."

"Okay," he nodded, a bit taken aback by her command.

Kara walked down the hall until she stood in front of room 217. She knocked on the door and waited for an answer. An older man opened the door. He had a thin beard and dark hazel eyes. Without a word he nodded to Kara and went to grab his keys and a backpack. He squeezed past the door and went out to the bus. Kara watched the curious man get back to work before she went back to gather the last of her belongings for their bus ride to the gig.

As she walked back into her room, she related to Lena, "Terrance is a quiet guy."

"Yeah, he doesn't really talk that moech, but he can drive really fast," Lena laughed to herself. She stood up and grabbed her black backpack and began out to the bus, "I would go check on the boys again."

"Okay," she nodded, heading to the door that connected their rooms. She rapped on the door, waiting for an answer. "We have five minutes to get to the bus. Get your stuff together and let's go. If you're late, you'll have to Uber."

Lena smirked at their assistant's words, rolling her eyes at the groaning response from the other side. "Are you serious abou' the Uber thing?"

"Yup," Kara chuckled as they walked to the bus, following slightly behind Lena.

"So, where'd you coeme up with that one?" she asked, holding open the glass door for Kara.

"From my old coach," Kara began. "Thank you. He'd give us a time and we had to be on the team bus by that time or else, 'Uber'!" she imitated with a vociferous laugh.

"How many tiymes did someone do that?"

"Twice. It was the same girl, too. The first time was when we were leaving for a meet and the second was when we were staying at a hotel and she didn't leave on time. We even gave her five more minutes before leaving."

Lena nodded with a wide grin on her face once they got to the bus. "Four more minutes befahre we leave them."

"Who's gonna be the last one?"

"Probably Mark, he's the last one all the tiyme," Lena shrugged as they climbed onto the bus.

When Kara stepped onto the bus, she was surprised at how clean it was. It was small but roomy enough for them all to have a place to rest during their drives. She glanced at the dark color scheme and the spots on the bus. There was a room in the back with the door closed and four beds built into the walls of the bus. She followed Lena through the are to the back where she opened the door. There was a small bed and a rack of clothes with the boxes of their instruments stacked on one side of the room.

"This is your room," Lena nodded before grabbing her spot by tossing her backpack on it.

"Thank you. So, how often do you guys sleep on the bus?"

"We're planning on a total of twenty days. Then we have to drive it back after the last gig."

Kara looked at the racks, gently pulling the costumes out of the way. "Not too long, then."

"Tha' last trip's going to be a long one. Terry's probably going to be taking as many stops as he can."

Kara nodded, her attention brought to Winn jumping on the bus with Jimmy and Mark trailing behind him. Mark had his headphones in while he wrote on a pad of paper. Kara was entranced by their serious attitude before the gig, that was until Terry started to drive and Mark became almost unmanageable rowdy with Winn. They tousled and rustled around in their spots, driving Kara close to insanity. With a small glance to Lena, she found the young Irish woman tucked away in her spot drawing in a spiral-bound notebook, her earphones in to block out the world.

Kara watched her focused demeanor, amazed by her ability to write on the bumpy and shaky drive. She glanced at her furious scratching on the page and redrawing of an image. Kara looked back at Jimmy and watched as he gazed out of the window, watching the buildings and people they passed. It really was a beautiful city, but it just interested her to regard the scene before her. Winn finally tore himself from Mark and passed by Kara, she turned to watch him, catching the side glance from Lena- who merely shrugged in response.

Lena placed her hand on the ceiling as she felt the bus slow to a halt, looking over at Kara. She slid out and turned off her music.

"Hey," she began, "let's meet up with the roadies. They can carry our stuff in. Better to start early, right?"

"Yeah," Kara nodded, following her out of the bus and to the establishment.

"You'll get used to this stuff quickly, trust me," Lena finished more as a question rather than as a statement; even her eyes suggested the sentiment of trust.

"So, do you draw?" Kara asked after a few breaths of silence passed on their route to the bar.

"I do, a little, but I was actually just thinking of a new song. Winn was playing a few chords on our bus ride down and when we had to stop, so I was listening to what he played."

"Could I listen?"

"Yeah," she smiled, fumbling with her phone before handing it to her. "Winn has an interesting style. It's, well, it's just beautiful."

Danvers placed the earbuds in and played. There were no words and the sound was very scratchy from being recorded on a phone, Lena was right. There were no words to explain the sound of Winn unplugged. His style was slow and beautiful. The swell of his playing and the occasional pauses to fix a chord or picking before continuing. It almost brought tears to her eyes, the way he played. Once his talented fiddling ended, Kara looked at Lena, her heart in pain at the emotion he conveyed.

"Yeah," Lena nodded, taking her phone back and wrapping the earphones around. "He has power in his playing."

"I just don't know how to react."

"Neither was I until I began to work with him. He's not great with his words, he really isn't," Lena began to explain, "but he just has a way with music that, honestly, none of us have. That's how he talks and expresses himself, and as torturous as it sounds, it always seems to clear his mind and makes him happy."

Kara nodded, her heart beating heavily from his playing. Rarely had she felt such sorrow from a song, especially one unfinished, the only time she felt that affected by a song was when she saw Adele live three years prior. They continued to walk in semi-silence, a few words traded here and there in reaction to the sights on their walk. Once at the bar, Kara began to direct the roadies who were present, logging in their time. Lena stood by her side and helped her, telling her the problems they had with the way the stage was set.

Danvers found herself, taking the advice quickly, directing the traffic with as much ease as she could before Lena escaped to prepare for the performance. She truly could not fathom why the others had so much trouble with them. Other than their childish games, they really were not that bad. They had great music and attitudes. She could only guess that Jess really was just not wanting to do the bare minimum with them, only taking care of the stage rather than them, her notes were detailed not only about them but on the stage, too.

Kara found her place by the main soundboard on the second floor of the bar. After their soundcheck, she found out another responsibility of her job which was helping them dress. They all wore military-style shirts and pants save for Mark who wore an extravagant black and silver military jacket with shoulder pieces and a badge chained to the jacket. He wore it partially open and- according to Jess- took it off by the end of the night. It looked really nice and had pins from fans under his heart like medals. He wore dress shoes with his black pants that were spotty and worn from moving around and jumping on and off stage. Lena wore a satin red military shirt that she rolled up above her elbow. I hung loosely on her body and billowed out as it was tucked into her tight black military pants with combat boots. Jimmy was the most normal looking with a pair of mint green board shorts and a greenish-grey military-style shirt that he wore with three buttons open. Winn wore black jogger capris with a military shirt that had black shoulder pieces and a matching thin tie. He and Jimmy wore old black vans unlike the others with their nicer shoes.

Kara enjoyed watching them sing and interact with the crowd. With a few of their songs, Jimmy would use a bass and snare drum that were set up closer to the audience so he could be up with the others. Mark and Winn seemed to mess around a lot during their performances, often interrupting one another as they spoke or teasing one another. Kara sat back and listened to them and the crowd. Out of all of them, Lena was the most interesting though. It was funny watching everyone's reaction to her. She had this enthralling and awkward persona on stage that made even the boys let her have her say whenever she decided to comment on their actions.

Kara enjoyed watching Lena the most. It was the way that she was talented enough to play so many instruments and how focused she got as the night went on and they began their closing set. Even though she barely talked, Kara could tell that there was something about the way she looked and acted on stage that not only intrigued her but the audience as well. Lena had this swagger that even Mark lacked without his jacket on.

Kara smiled as the crowd grew rowdier along with Mark until they eventually had to be calmed down for their final song on the set. She began to make her way down the steps and out of the building, opening the instrument cases and standing behind the stage with their four roadies. As the song ended, they were cheered on even after they left the stage. Kara helped them out of their outfits and hung them up, sliding the rack over to their midwest costumer to take care of while she and the roadies went on stage and took it apart, taking the banner and instruments while the stagehands from the bar helped reset the stage for their normal nights.

A new round of cheering began as the band walked through the crowd, escorted by the bar's bouncers, and began their meet and greet by the band's paraphernalia. Kara watched between telling the roadies where everything went as they took photos with their fans. She backed away after a few moments and got a drink from the bar, moving past inebriated patrons to get something. A hand patted her on the back before they sat down next to her.

"Already getting started without us?" Jimmy smirked.

"Shouldn't you be at the meet n greet?"

"Eh, nobody really cares about the drummer," he shrugged. "We usually party at the gig with the employees and roadies once the place is closed."

"Shouldn't we get ready for our next gig instead of getting plastered?"

"Why not have fun while we're here?"

Kara rolled her eyes as she looked away from him, hoping he wouldn't see, while she paid for her drink. "Go finish up with the meet n greet then we can all have fun."

"Yes, ma'am," he chuckled, walking back to his band.

Kara took the bottle and began to chug it down, not wanting to deal with their possible shenanigans. She waited for the crowd to finally die down an hour after the show and rested against the bar. The band walked over to her while the roadies broke down and packed their CDs and apparel. In their boisterous laughter, they bought a round for the employees, sitting down on the edge of the stage while they waited for their drinks to arrive. Kara watched them, listening in on fragments of their interesting conversations on personal anguish and recap from their night. One of the employees began to play a setlist while the after-party began. Lena hopped off of the stage and walked over to her, finishing off her drink.

"Would you mind if I joined you, ar do you like to drenk alohne?" Lena asked.

"I thought you guys would like to have time to bond."

"Well, yeah, but you're apart of the band, too. Come ahn, it wahn't kell you to join us ahn yoeur first night," Lena charismatically persuaded with a beckoning hand.

Kara shrugged and walked over to them, "So, what do you guys usually do for the after-party?"

"Kara!" Winn laughed into the beer.

"Drink drink and drink," Mark shrugged, earning a chuckle from Jimmy. "Ah, there's the first round!" Kara turned around to see the roadies bringing in five cases of beer. "So Kara, as the newbie, what game should we play?"

"Oh god," Kara muttered, "I don't know, what do you guys usually play?"

"You drink, I drink," he smiled, "it's easy to play."

"Yeah, I know that game," Kara huffed. "I think I'll sit this one out though. I need to make sure you guys at least get to the bus in one piece."

"You mean you won't make us Uber?" Lena jibed.

"No, then I would get in trouble."

"Okay, but you're missing out on the fun," she scoffed, cracking open a case and pulling out a beer for herself.

It was just like every other night Jess had warned about in the binder. She had to distract Mark and Lena to get them out of fighting each other, steer Jimmy away from one of the employees there, and finally had to assist Winn to the bathroom. She was just glad that everyone was too busy partying to really pay attention to their guests. Kara was able to drag them to the bus, treating them like drowsy kids after a day at an amusement park. Winn crashed on his bunk, getting tucked in by Lena, while Jimmy and Mark played on their Switch. Lena slumped down on the couch next to Kara, who was focused on watching the roads.

"Thanks fahr the night," Lena nodded. "You're way better thahn Jess. "

"Thank you," Kara nodded, not breaking her gaze from the streets.

"When we get back to our room, we continue the parhty a tad longer. Will you join us this time?"

"Why not, it's not like I'll be able to sleep," she huffed, turned away from the window.

"So, are you always this shy with new people," she teased, leaning back against the armrest, "or is it just us?"

"Yeah, I'm just not a very social person," Kara lied, turning her gaze to Terry.

"We'll make one out of you," she teased before Mark exclaimed while he played Mario Kart. "They always ge' locked after shows, and then Jimmy throws shapes at any girl he can gawk a'," Lena confessed, taking a swig from her hydro.

"You have anything in there?"

"Sorry, no, only water," she smirked, but still handed it to her, "stay hydrated." Kara shrugged in response and took it. "So, tell me about yourself."

"I'm boring," she chuckled, handing back the teal hydro.

"Well, we have a lot of boring nights in the future. As fun as this job is, touring is the worst part. So, where do you come from?"

"Midvale. It's a suburban town in east New York. What about you, I've been trying to avoid questions on the accent, but where do you come from?" Kara asked in a rush of too many words.

"Ashford, Ireland, but I always tried to travel with my mom."

"What did she do?"

"She was a costumer for an acting troupe."

"That sounds like so much fun!"

"It was. I traveled all over Ireland… well except for the North," she ended in a disregarding tone. "So, what sport did you play?"

"Track in the Spring and Cross Country in the Fall," Kara shrugged. "What about you, did you play any sports?"

"Football but after primary, I decided to join my school's band."

"So, how many instruments do you play?"

"Well, I play the piano, vibraphone, bells, and whatever simple instruments I play in the pit," Lena shrugged. "So, how did you go from being an atlete to an assistant?"

"I always enjoyed music and when I went to school, I decided to go into business to become a secretary. How did you find these guys?"

Lena shrugged and looked around as the bus came to a stop, "They opened for my brother."

"Who's your brother?"

"Lex Luthor," she explained, glancing at Jimmy and Mark as they helped Winn off the bus and to their room. "Um… yeah. Their other pianist left and they asked me to take his spot."

"That sucks that he bailed on them," Kara muttered, backing out of the way for Winn to get off. "So, is this normal?"

"Yeah, you get used to it. Winn doesn't usually join us for the after pahrty," she laughed, following them up to their room. "Are you joining us?"

"Yes," Kara huffed. "I will join you, I might have to tap out early, though. The morning after is always the hardest for me. So, what do you guys do between gigs?"

"Explore whatever town we're in."

"Sounds fun. What's been the best place so far?"

"Honestly, NYC. It's actually fun there and there are tons of people who know how to have fun. These smaller cities are a bit too pure for my blood."

"Will you be going through any dry counties?"

"Not that we'll be performing at, but a few, so we're making sure to stock up."

Kara nodded and opened the door for Lena- who went to the door connecting them with the boys and unlocked it. She turned to Kara and beckoned her over.

"Come on, don't be so shy, Kara," she smirked, opening her suitcase and pulling out three bottles of booze. "What do you want?"

"Oh my," Kara gasped, "Um… I… well," she ended in a more neutral tone when she grabbed the bottle of Guinness.

"Ah, a woman after my own heart," she joked, cracking it open and pulling out a few solo cups.

"So, is it your job to pick out the drinks?"

"No, everyone just picks their poison and we pahrty, I'm just letting you take a bit of mine until you get your own, but we all share anyway. I just like the harder stuff than the boys. It's the Irish part of me," she joked, pouring them both a drink.

Mark opened the door, standing with Jimmy without his shirt on and holding the Switch. "Who's ready to party?!" he quietly called.

"Lightweight," Lena jibed, taking the device and turning it on, "give it befahre you break it."

"Fine, I call the first round of Mario Kart, though."

"Okay, but you have to let at least one of us on at some point," she smiled, before taking a swig from her cup.

"Okay," he shrugged situating himself on Lena's bed, "but Jimmy and I are gonna Smash first."

"Oh my god, stop, Mark," Jimmy groaned with a roll of his eyes. He sat down next to Mark and took the red controller from him.

Kara sat up on her bed while Lena stooped in the armchair on her phone. She looked over at her new co-worker, still somehow entranced by her beauty. Her hair was a bit messy from the performance and costume change, but she was still so stunningly gorgeous. Kara must have been gawking at her because Lena turned her head to meet her gaze, a timid smile tugging against her red-stained lips. She looked back at the boys' game where she noticed that Jimmy was playing as Wario while Mark decided that Sheik was his best option. It really wasn't much longer before Kara passed out on her bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Kara awoke to the harsh morning light from the blinds. She closed her eyes again and turned away from the window, just wanting to sleep until she needed to wake up. Her head pounded violently against her skull, reminding her once more that she wasn't the 18-year-old she once was, fresh out of high school and searching for whatever booze she could get her hands on. Kara opened her eyes and glanced around the room to find Lena asleep at the foot of her own bed and Mark sprawled out on the floor with a towel covering his torso. He must have taken his shorts off at some point because they were on the dresser, leaving him in his green plaid boxers.

Kara finally sat up and looked at the alarm clock, closing her eyes as she read the time, 8:46. It had been a long time since she slept past eight; she always had something to do in the early hours of the day. Her ear's buzzed and her eyes were still a bit cloudy from being asleep for so long. She slid off her bed and walked to the bathroom, grabbing a new shirt and underwear from her bag. Kara changed and redid her hair while the others were still out.

When she finally left, Mark and his shorts were gone while Lena was changing into new clothes. She hadn't been gone that long, but maybe she woke the others up. Kara let her gaze linger a tad too long as Lena was turned away from her, changing out from her pants to jean shorts and a tank-top. Her skin was so pale and perfect with light freckles that speckled her arms and neck, spacing out once they reached the base of her spine. Lena turned her head as she pulled down her shirt.

"Mark was talking about an event that's happening around one this afternoon," she began. "It's a Spring festival, I guess. What do you think?"

"I think it'd be fun," she shrugged. "You know, you guys aren't that bad."

Lena smirked and shrugged, "That bad?"

"Well, I've just heard some stories about… nevermind," Kara huffed.

Lena furrowed her brows and let out a soft huff. "I should go wake up the boys. I'm almost sure Mark passed out again."

"So, what time did you guys go to bed?"

"At 1 or 2. Mark and I played a few games befahre crashing."

Kara nodded and pulled on a pair of shoes while Lena escaped to their room. She rolled her eyes, wishing she hadn't hinted their reputation to her. It was probably the stupidest thing she could have said so early into knowing them. She knew she should have waited before telling anyone about her real reason for being there.

Kara looked over as Lena walked back into their room. She was pulling her hair back into a bun while the boys loudly got ready. It took a few moments, but Mark was the first one to walk into their room while the others got ready. Lena sat on her bed on her phone when Kara stood up and walked over to grab her bottle.

"Any of you guys want ice?"

"Sure," Mark smiled, jogging over to grab his bottle.

"Lena?"

She shrugged in response and tossed her bottle to Kara, "Thanks."

"Cool," she muttered when Mark handed her his small hydro.

Kara flipped the latch and left to get ice. Lena watched her before looking at Mark. "She said something weird."

"Who, Kara? Maybe she misspoke," he offered.

"I don't know."

"What did she say?"

"She said that we're not that bad, which makes me wonder what she meant," Lena whispered. "What do you think?"

"I'm not sure."

"Do you think it's Jimmy. We know how he gets when he drinks."

"Hey, I've already talked to him about it."

"Yeah, but he still creeps on girls. He tried with Kara last night."

"Huh," he sighed, "Okay, I'll talk to him, then."

"He only gets two more chances, Mark."

"I got it," he huffed in response as he sulked to his room, closing the door behind himself.

Lena gritted her teeth until Kara came back with their full drinks. "Thank you, love. Just leave his on the dresser, he'll be back in a moment."

"Is Terry coming?"

"I don't know, I'll see if he's even awake," Lena nodded, grabbing her phone.

Kara took her belongings and began out the door again. "I'm gonna get breakfast, see you guys down there?"

"In a few, yeah."

Kara nodded and left, Lena's eyes on her back until the door closed again. Luthor looked at the door that connected her room to the boys and waited for Mark to come out and talk to her. She really expected that when she joined the band, the eldest would be the true leader of the group, almost the moral compass, but it was the younger half that had to control the behavior and constitution of their counterparts. The door finally opened with Winn walking in, a confused look on his face as he glanced behind his shoulder.

"What's going on?"

"Jimmy… again," she groaned. "Come on, let's go downstairs. I thought they'd be done, but I'm hungry, so let's go," Lena smiled, heartily hitting him on the back as she stood up.

"Yeah, I could eat a horse," he nervously laughed, following her out to the elevator.

They continued on with little said between either of them before they got to the lobby. Winn let his friend go first, heading for the coffee machine before anything else. He set himself up across from Kara and greeted her.

"Hey, sorry about last night-"

"And future nights," Lena added.

"Yeah, that too. I honestly just like to unwind after playing," he explained.

"How bad are your hangovers?"

"Not great," he admitted, "but I still like to get hammered."

Kara nodded with raised eyebrows as he left. Lena slid next to her and began to eat the toast on her plate. "I understand you have standards and enjoy having a comfortable distance between yourself and your co-workers, but unlike at your old place, we have to live togahther. Sometimes we don' get along, but we've learned to live with it. I just wanted to tell you this early so you knew what to expect."

"So, what about Jimmy?"

"Mark's talkin' to him again. We have an established amount of times we'll deal with his… faults until he has to go. We have that under control."

"So drinking helps you deal with each other?" Kara asked, a bit held back by Lena's brash explanation.

"Yes, but we also all enjoy going on the tear befahre the day ends," she ended with a smile.

"Well, I enjoy drinking with you guys, too."

"Good, because you're a fun drunk," Winn chuckled, as he sat down again. "What'd I miss?"

"Just talking about the festival," Kara lied with a smile.

Lena cocked her head to the side, watching how easily, and so convincingly, the words came out. She looked down at her plate and continued to eat the bare-bones amount of food she had on it. Lena picked at her breakfast, swallowing what tasteless and out of season food was on the cheap ceramic plate. She glanced up as Mark sat down across from her and Jimmy grabbed them both coffee, looking ashamed and downtrodden. She recognized that look on his face, it was the same one he had on when they had established their rules with him. Lena could never pity him, she honestly found him annoying and could really ruin their fun. She kept her mouth closed during their meal, leaving the rambling to Winn and Kara, chuckling at the small remarks made by Mark.

Len cleaned up their plates, stacking and placing them before they walked out of the hotel. Mark led the way to the main park in Lexington, a beautiful lot called McConnell Springs. It wasn't like traditional parks she had seen all over the States, but a spot that was hidden by trees with flat bridges and dirt roads leading to the center where they were holding their Spring Festival. It wasn't too busy, in fact, most of the people there were older adults either by themselves or with young children not yet in school.

The trees were lush and green with the stale smell of winter falling off of their branches and mixing with the sweet scent of early spring crops. Lena meandered past the trinkets and to the farmer's market portion of the park. Lost in her own world, Lena pulled herself from booth to booth, smelling the sweet scent of ripe fruits as they filled her nostrils. She stopped at a stand for citruses, looking at the marmalades, preserves, and soaps that the owners had made from their yield that season. She glanced up at the owner who noticed her curiosity and instantly began to capitalize on her presence.

"Good morning young ma'am," he pleasantly greeted, "what's piquing your interest today?"

Lena looked at the man's fine button-up that was neatly tucked into his knee worn jeans before shrugging in response, "I'm just browsing, but these lemon squares look amazing."

"Got a bit of a sweet tooth, then might I also recommend our orange cookies?" he gestured to the basket of bagged biscuits.

"Why not," she smiled, pulling out her wallet. "How much will that be?"

"Lemon squares are 4, orange cookies are 3," he informed her, brushing his greying hair out of his eyes.

"Okay," she nodded and pulled out a ten-dollar bill.

He took her money, handing her change while Lena grabbed the two clear bags of sweets. She turned around, almost face to face with Kara.

"Hello," she smirked in surprise, "have you gotten anything?"

"No, what'd you find?"

"Lemon squares and cookies," she nodded. "Where are the boys?"

"Mark's looking at jewelry with Winn and I have no idea where Jimmy is."

"Want to try one?"

"Sure, may I have one of the lemon squares?" she asked.

"Here." Lena handed her the bag and began to a bench, "Come over here." When they were both settled, she glanced at Kara, taking a piece off of the lemon bar still in the bag. "Despite my brash nature and introverted demeanor, I do enjoy having you with us. I can understand that it can be hard to join in with a team, especially a boys club. I was in your position three years ago."

"Except you replaced someone on the stage," Kara corrected, "and I'm replaceable.'

Lena looked over at her with deeply furrowed brows, "You are irreplaceable, Kara, just like Jess."

"But the world still turned in your fans' eyes when she left," she protested.

"But not for us. You guys do everything for us. You're the reason we made it back to the hotel and why we got to the gig on time. Without you, we wouldn't have played on time." Lena let out a small sigh. "So, while the boys are gone, why don't we get to know each other a bit more."

"Okay, yeah, I don't really feel like looking for them," she smiled. "Thank you for the lemon square."

"No problem," Lena smiled. "So, do you have any siblings?"

"An older sister, Alex."

"Ah, you also have an Alex."

"Yeah, she only goes by Alex though."

"So, what does she do?"

"She's a bioengineer at a hospital," Kara smiled with pride.

"You must be proud of her," Lena solemnly noted.

"Are you and Lex close?"

"Not really. He's much older than me, so we were never that close growing up. The only thing we bonded over was music."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've written four of his songs, but once I joined Legion, we grew apart again," Lena ended somberly. She shrugged and looked ahead at the other booths and asked, "Are you allergic to anything?"

"I'm allergic to bees, but not food," she admitted. "You?"

"Nothing that I can think of. Do you sing?"

"The better question is can I sing, which is a no."

"Pfft, there are very few people who can't sing. You'll have to sing for us sometime. Maybe when we're all drunk," she offered.

"Maybe, but I think you'll all be disappointed by what you hear."

Lena laughed with her and glanced at Winn as he made his way to them. "Hey, I was told that there's a more modern bar two miles out of town. Ooh, what'd you guys find?"

"Some sweet treats," Kara told him, offering a piece of her lemon bar.

"Thanks."

"So, what were you saying about a bar out of town?"

"There's a…" Winn trailed off, taking a few steps closer to them and whispering, "gay bar, outside of town," he ended in a normal tone.

"Sounds like fun, I haven't been to one of those in a good while," Lena laughed. "Is Jimmy coming?"

"No, he wanted to stay in tonight."

"Great, are you gonna join us, Kara?"

"Oh hell yeah. I've never been to a small-town bar."

Kara held open the door for her co-workers, following them into the establishment. Winn walked to the bar and grabbed a few drinks for them all. The music blared while a Drag Queen performed on the stage. She was collecting tips as she lip-synced to Dolly Parton's 9 to 5. Kara missed going to gay bars, she was always too busy to party. It took Alex or Lucy dragging her from her apartment or desk for a fun night out.

As Mark helped Winn with their drinks she turned to Lena and asked, "So, are either of them… you know queer?"

"No," Lena chortled. "Well, Winn's ace, but Mark's just a fashionable straight guy."

Kara quickly swallowed her pride and asked, "What about you?"

Lena turned her attention to Kara with a new grin on her lips, "Oh, yeah. I'm pan. What about you?"

"Bi," Kara quietly told her.

"What's with the tone?" she chuckled, "You're in a GAY BAR!" she ended loudly, chuckling afterward.

"Oh my god, are you sure you didn't pre-game before coming here?"

"Of course I did, but that's not the reason for my pride," she cockily grinned.

"I just don't usually say it out loud," Kara shrugged, grabbing a drink from Mark, "Thanks, so why didn't Jimmy want to come?"

Mark glanced at Lena as he handed her a pint of what must have been Guinness. "He's not a fan of large crowds," she explained before taking a long drink from her glass. "So, some nights it's just us three heading out, but we call him to bring us to the hotel room if we can't find our way back." She took another long swig from her glass and asked, "So, got any ink?"

"Just two."

"Really, I would've guessed none," Mark chuckled.

"What do you have?" Winn asked.

"On my ribs, I have the last ten seconds of my dad's heartbeat," she said, lifting up the right side of her shirt and showing them her tattoo.

"I'm so sorry, when did he pass away?" he asked, reaching out to pat her shoulder.

"When I was nineteen. The other one I have on my arm," she switched, unbuttoning her sleeve and rolling it up, "is one I share with my sister."

She showed them the other tattoo on her forearm. In bold symbols, the tattoo showed;

1ᛢ0?2Λ Ө36ᛟ4

7=5 8 ? ﾟﾜﾃ9 ️ᛓ?

Ψᚾᛝþᚠᚯሐᛃᛊᛋ+*-

"Okay, what the hell is that?" Lena asked.

"It's something my sister and I used when we were really little. I mean, we still use it now, but it's just a reminder of when we were young," she shrugged. "What about you guys, who's got the most ink?"

"Me," Mark proudly smiled with a raised hand. "Take a gander!" He pulled up his mid sleeved shirt to show off the half sleeve of tattoos that led up and across his chest. "I also have a chest piece and one on my thigh."

"It's hard to see in the dark, what is it?" Kara asked with squinted eyes.

"On my arm, I have postcards for countries I've been to and that leads to my chest where I have cherry blossoms and a river from when I was in Japan. My leg is an original piece a friend made."

"What about you guys?"

"Family crest on my shoulder," Lena explained as she pulled up her sleeve.

"Beautiful," Kara gawked, looking at all of the minute details of the tattoo.

It was a basic shield split into four sections. The top right had three red lions, the top left had a hand gripping a blue three-bladed ax. Below was a black goat with gold horns and finally next to that was a golden battle-ax. Around the shield was a vintage knight's helmet with curling leaves around it. It was a beautiful piece that was planted in the center of her shoulder.

"I just have my fraternity's motto on my chest," Winn shrugged.

Mark rested against the back of his chair chugging his drink and gestured to the stage, "Let's watch the show."

Kara turned to watch her perform, she placed the bottle on their table as she regarded the show. With her attention drawn to the Drag Queen, Lena took a moment to watch her new co-worker. She really was a beautiful woman, even in the brief time they had been speaking. Kara seemed to be an easy-going person who just needed to learn how to be more open about herself. She was so resilient at first but in the few days they had been talking, Kara had started to open up to them.

Lena regarded her fair features and the way her blonde hair curled in her ponytail. She found herself entranced by her focus, the smile that tugged at her lips when the performer did her trade, and how she laughed at the emcee's jokes. Her hands incessantly tapped on the mostly full glass of Guinness when Mark looked at her. She smiled at him, earning a small nod.

Lena hoisted Winn up, with the help of Mark, and walked him to their room while Kara paid their fare. She held open the door and elevator as they threatened and coerced Winn into holding his vomit until they made it to his room. When they walked in, Jimmy was curled up in his bed, headphones in, as they pulled Winn into the bathroom. Kara opened the doors between their rooms while Mark helped Winn out of his shirt. She sat on her bed, taking out her diary and began to write.

Lena looked at her from the doorway, "Hey, what're you doin'?"

Kara tapped her journal with her pen and shrugged, "Just writing. How's he doing?"

"He'll be fine," she nodded, closing the door and sitting on her bed. "So the writing on your arm, it's a cipher?"

"Yeah," Kara gestured with her forearm, showing it to her again.

Lena got up and placed a knee on Kara's bed, taking a longer look at the tattoo. "So, what are these symbols. I get the numbers, but the other stuff?"

"Alchemy symbols like water, mercury, gold and then old Viking runes."

"Why Viking runes?" she asked, looking up at her.

"I like them," Kara simply explained.

"And the alchemy?"

"My sister was always obsessed with it when we were young, so I added it in."

"Oh, so you're the brain behind the code?" Lena asked, sliding in front of her, a hand on her arm to study the symbols.

Kara glanced at their placement on the bed before quietly clearing her throat. With a timid grin she explained, "We both came up with it, I just created the parts that would hide the meaning behind what we actually wrote. My mom would get so mad when we stayed up late practicing it," she chuckled. "Now I just use it on postcards or in my diary." Kara glanced at Lena with a small smile and rolled her sleeve down. "It's fun to have it."

"So do you still need it to read?"

"No, I just have it because it looks cool."

Lena smirked and stood up, "Hey, you want to play some games?"

"I'm not much of a gamer," she admitted, "but I'll try."

"We'll start easy, then," she smiled, walking into the boys' room.

Kara quickly finished her entry before Lena came back and tossed her journal into her duffle bag. She watched as Lena came back in and set up the system on Kara's bed. They took the controllers and decided to start with one of the games from 1-2-Switch. Lena beckoned her to stand and chose a game. She nudged Kara a bit further away from her so they wouldn't hit each other before they began to play.

"Let's start easy, here." Lena offered when she picked a high noon game. "Just press… ZL."

"ZL?"

"These buttons," Lena chuckled. "Ready? When it says draw try to press them as fast as you can."

"Okay."

Lena sat up and rubbed her eyes, still cold from having stripped down to her underwear and a sports bra when she and Kara continued onto Mario Kart the night before. They both must have been too drunk to lower the temperature because Kara was sprawled out on top of her sheets stark naked. Lena glanced around the room, spotting the empty bottle of Guinness she had bought in Philadelphia and the now mostly filled bottle of Absolut in front of the TV. Mark's console was set on the desk and plugged in to charge.

Lena sat up and grabbed the bottles. She didn't remember drinking it, but at some point, they must have brought them out while they played. While she changed, there was a tentative knock on the door between their rooms. Lena pulled on her maroon t-shirt from the day before and opened it. Mark stood in the doorway with a small smile.

"Good morning, Lena. Just checking in. When I went to uh, see how everything was going," he began with a deep sigh, "you two were completely out of it. It was so funny."

"What time did you go to bed?"

"About one o'clock," Mark thought back. "It's 8 right now and we're leaving by 2, so I'd start packing."

"Oh yeah," Lena nodded, glancing back at Kara. She closed the door a bit more until her shoulders fit between the gap. "I'll tell Kara."

"M'kay, I still have to get these guys moving," he nodded before he closed his door.

Lena sat next to Kara, feeling the bed dip as she leaned over her. She fumbled with her hands, trying to decide what to do before she finally began to wake her up. Lena gently nudged her soft shoulder, watching as the younger woman's eyes fluttered open and a chill ran over her skin. Her blue eyes lazily glanced around the room before she sat up. Kara launched herself from the bed and straight to the bathroom, slamming the door open and retching into the toilet. Lena let out a sigh and began to clean up her belongings.

"We're leaving at 2," she told her from the room.

"Mhm," Kara groaned from her prone position.

"I'm gonna go grab some breakfast and bring it up, okay?"

"Yeah," she shivered before she spat into the porcelain bowl.

"Here," Lena began, placing a bottle on the bathroom counter. "When you think you can keep it down there's some sparkling water."

Kara knelt in front of the basin, looking at the remnants from her stomach before flushing it down. She sat back against the door frame, the tile cooling her skin, and grabbed the bottle. When she opened it, the sparkling water got all over the floor and her legs. She let out a frustrated groan and hit the back of her head against the white wooden frame.

"Of course," Kara hummed before she took a drink. "Of course."

She huffed and slowly stood up, skulking over to the towels and wiping off the bubbly water. Kara dropped it and walked out of the bathroom, pulling on running shorts and a tank top as she collected her belongings. She wrapped up Mark's Switch and brought it to their empty room. As she packed up her clothes and items, Kara pulled out her journal and began to write again. It was nice to start writing again. It had been too many months with little to do, so maybe the promotion wasn't a curse at all. The door opened with Lena leading them into their room.

"Here," she offered, handing her plate.

"How's it going?" Winn asked as he sat at the desk.

"Better than before, I put the switch in your room, Mark," Kara informed him as she wrote.

"Thanks, we might end up leaving early."

"So, where to next?"

"Knoxville so we have a short journey ahead of us," Jimmy said through a full mouth. He cut through his pancakes and poured another small syrup cup onto them. He glanced around the room and tossed a banana to Mark.

Lena closed her eyes and rested against the desk, "How long?"

"Terry says three hours."

"M'kay," Kara nodded as she ate from her plate.

Mark's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and announced, "Terry's refueling so he'll be back in fifteen, but ready to leave when we are."

"So what do we do until then?"

"Sleep?" Jimmy suggested.

"Poker?" Lena offered.

Kara let out a small sigh and shrugged in agreement. "Why not? But can we play BS?"

"I'm gonna take a nap," Jimmy admitted with a brush over his bald head. "Wake me up when he's back."

"Okay," Mark nodded while Lena grabbed a deck of cards from her bag. "So, who's playing?"

"I'm in," Winn nodded, "So four."

"Tight," he smiled as Lena dealt the cards.

"So, how are we playing?" Kara asked.

"Um…" Lena began as she handed out the cards. "Anyone can go, call BS or Bullshit when you think someone lies. If you're right they get the deck if you're wrong you get the deck. Um… you can put down more than one card at a tiyme." Kara nodded and picked up her cards and read through them, looking up at the others before they began. "Ace of Spades first."

They all gathered on Kara's bed when Mark placed the clipped red and white card down in the middle of their group. After that, a flurry of cards flew down into the pile as people tried to get rid of their cards before anyone could call them out until Winn broke the silence.

"BS!" he called on Lena. "Bullshit, bullshit. That's not an ace because I have the last one."

"Oh yeah?" she tested, flipping over her card to reveal the ace of hearts. "Suck it!"

"Oh my god," he muttered with a smile while he added the deck to his hand as everyone else guffawed. "You guys are fucking liars!"

"Oh yeah, we are," Lena smirked with a quick swig from her bottle.

"So, left off on two," Mark sniggered, "would you like to start us off, Winn?"

"Fuck you," he hissed with a smile when he placed down a card. The cards went flying again as they played their game again. "Okay, bs, Kara. that can't be a king."

"Fine, you're right," she sighed in defeat taking all eleven of the cards. "If you have it, then go for it, Winn."

"Don't mind if I do," he taunted.

"Terry's back," Mark interrupted, "let's finish this round and then we'll head out."

They continued playing until Mark won, finishing on three. "Bam! Anyone wanna call bs? No, then let's get going."

Kara rolled her eyes and slid off her bed to her duffle bag. Lena followed her after emptying the fridge while the boys went back to their room. The girls left their room to the elevator to check out. As they stood in the elevator, Lena couldn't help but snicker to herself.

"What?" Kara inquired with a smile.

"Nothing," she chuckled.

"Come on, it's just us."

After a moment to breath, Lena nodded, "Two things, first, you have a nice body."

"Thank you," she bashfully admitted.

"And I was just remembering Winn getting all of those cards," she chuckled again. "Anyway, did you pack any soap?"

"You mean from our room?"

"Yeah."

"No."

"Good thing I hogged it all," she teased as the doors opened and leaned up to her ear, "You'll thank me later," she finished with a small chuckle before escaping to the bus.

Kara let out a short sigh and watched her leave before she left for the lobby. It took a moment before she was able to get to the front desk. She pulled her hair back and checked them out with ease. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the three guys with their bags as they took a side door out to the bus. She followed them with her phone out, shooting a text to her superior and then dialing up their next gig. It didn't take too long for their slot to get confirmed, so Kara jogged up to join them again.

"Hey, how's it going?" Jimmy asked as he heard the tapping of her shoes.

"Good, Elkhorn Inn's ready for you guys tonight."

"Awesome," Mark nodded as he held the glass door open for them. "So I was thinking, if we crash on the drive, then we can go straight to the venue to get set up and rest until it's time to play. How does that sound?"

"Good," Winn shrugged, "Are we going down south after?"

"Yup," Kara nodded while she climbed the steps of their bus, "You guys need to be on board by midnight and Terry's taking us down to Atlanta. So, just make sure we don't party, we don't have time for that."

"Okay, mom," Mark teased.

"I'm serious," she muttered as she found her way to the back.

"M'kay," Winn agreed as he climbed into his bunk.

Lena looked up at them from her spot on the couch, watching with extra detail at their assistant's sure steps to the back room. "What'd I miss?"

"We're heading to Atlanta right after the meet n greet," Kara informed her with a quick peek of her head from the doorway before she closed it.

She turned around with her back against the thin faux wood, feeling it bow against her weight. Kara muttered to herself about the binder, dropping her duffle on the ground and pulling it out. A soft knock on the door broke her moment of silence. She let out a soft sigh as she kicked her bag across the room and opened the door. Lena stood in the doorway with a hand resting on the door frame.

"You know I wasn't kidding about the whole singing thing, right?"

"Seriously?" Kara protested.

"Yes," Lena whispered with a chuckle. She looked over her shoulder at the sleeping forms in the bunks before turning her attention back to Kara's slightly flabbergasted response. "Not right now, but we won't forget about needing to hear you sing."

"Might as well practice while they're all asleep. Come in," Kara huffed with a look behind her co-worker.

She let the door swing closed behind Lena while they moved some of the bags and rack out of the way. Kara watched as the older woman picked out one of Winn's guitars. She tuned it, quietly plucking the strings as she twisted the metal pegs. Lena pulled out a capo and clipped it onto the head of the guitar. She let her fingers strum over the strings and let her hands rest over the acoustic. Kara watched her fingers mess through a few chords from random songs before Lena tore her eyes from her hobby and back up to their assistant. She looked at her beautiful form, taking a moment to listen to her own thudding heart as she gazed at her expert fingers find their spot on the slender neck of the guitar.

"So, what song do you want to try?" she inquired, still playing chords with different picking styles.

Kara let out a breathy sound before she asked, "Um, I'm kind of old school, I don't know, though. What do you recommend?"

"I love playing Queen songs, but we'll start easy. You know 17?"

"Your song?"

"Yeah, It's got easy chords, tempo, and nice vocal range for altos."

"Okay," she nervously nodded.

"You know the lyrics?"

"For the most part."

"The chorus, you know "Let's love like seventeen. I'm in love with poisoning. Only bring your pretty frightful gifts to me. Let's love and kill like seventeen now". And then the bridge... I'll just sing along with you," Lena shrugged. She began to strum the chords of the verse before leading into its chorus. She began to sing quietly, waiting for Kara to join her but surprised when she didn't. "Are you going to sing or jus' listen to me?" Kara cocked her head to the side and nervously shook her head. "Okay, I'm sure you can come on."

"Fine," she chuckled, a nervous heat rising to her ears as she tried to memorize the lyrics.

Lena started over again, plucking the chords in careful precision as Winn did when they played. Once she got to the chorus, she began to sing, her quiet voice beautifully carrying along with the notes she strummed. Kara copied her, singing along in an unsure tone that made Lena's lips curl back in a smile before she stopped singing, listening to her voice.

As she played, she noted, "Maybe you should try one of my songs?"

"Why?"

Lena let the last note ring before she lifted her fingers off the neck and looked at Kara, "They're a bit higher, maybe more in your range."

"What's a song you'd be okay with my completely destroying?" Lena took a moment to think and let out an unexpected giggle. Kara glanced at her with surprise as she laughed. "What?"

"Well, there's this funny song I covered back in 2013. It's a cheeky little song about a lesbian from the 1800s."

"Okay, I'm interested. How does it go?"

Lena laughed again, a bit more hearty this time before she strummed the song and sang the lyrics. It was the old duet on their new album and Lena sang out every word with gusto and joy. She cut herself off and looked at Kara.

"I like it. I heard a couple sing it at a bar and just fell in love with it instantly," she laughed.

"So, what- or who's it about?"

"An English woman from 1800s who lived her life the way she wanted to live it. Anne Lister was her name," Lena eloquently stated, "She's actually considered to be the first modern lesbian."

"Oh, I see now," Kara chuckled in response.

Lena hummed to herself as she put away Winn's guitar. "I'm gonna go take a nap."

Kara nodded and watched her leave. She took out her journal and began to write again.

Lena enjoyed having Kara around, even if it took a while for her to get used to the road but she adapted to the lifestyle as quickly as she did to the crew. She found her spot in their after-parties as to the on-site 'Mama-Bird' who regularly watched over Winn's intake before taking him to the bathroom and corralling Jimmy with the other two. Lena was very impressed as she only had one slip up where Mark started a scuffle with Winn at the end of the night by their bus. No one was hurt, but Lena had found Kara's annoyance to be funny. She thought it was cute, the way she cared so much about them to the point it seemed like she was finally truly melded in with the crew.

They traveled through the south, partying in the larger cities and avoiding the sleepier towns with care as not to disturb the locals. Every night seemed the same. Travel to a hotel, play party. Travel to a hotel, play, party. Travel to a gig and travel again until they got to the west coast which is where their troubles seemed to begin again.

Lena was fairly aware of everyone's tells of annoyance, but this one was under the radar. Kara must have reached the end of her fuse with Jimmy by the way she finally lashed out at him. She stared daggers at him, his nose bloody from a fight with a fan with a pack of pressed against it and a wet paper towel under his nose. He refused to look at her, too afraid to meet those icy blue eyes.

Kara's hands were balled into fists, her knuckles pale pink from being so tight against her bones. She shook her head, letting her body rattle in the crisp midnight air. Mark came back out with a chilled beer by the request of their assistant. Kara grabbed it from his hand and used the brick wall to open it. She scrapped it down and let the cap clatter to the ground.

"Thanks, Mark. Can you tell the others to get to the bus? I need to speak with Jimmy," she stiffly requested, with a long chug of her beer.

He nodded in silence and squeezed his way back inside. Kara glanced at the door before tearing her attention to Jimmy. She hid her face behind her bottle before composing herself again. She let the silence settle between them before finally looking at him from across the compact space.

"You are lucky I care about you guys because that was irreprehensible," Kara began in a low and even tone. "When we get back to New York, you either need to get your shit together or get out because Cat's not going to be happy when she finds out about this, and she will find out. Do you know how many people were there? Do you even think about half of the things you do? How they affect your fans and your band's reputation?" She asked, her volume growing with each question. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked away from him. "Not that I'm in control of either you or your place here, but you need to think about your future in the industry before you do stupid shit like that." Kara tossed the empty bottle in a tin trash can and went to the back door. "Take a long way back."

She closed the heavy door behind herself and walked through the bar. Her eyes were cast down, it seemed like the bar had been empty for hours, all pristine and set for the next night. As she looked around the bar, Kara pondered if Jimmy's actions had risked their ever being allowed there again. It was one thing for a patron to fight, but a guest was something completely different. This wasn't the first time he had cheekily flirted with a girl, but it was the first time said target's boyfriend had retaliated. Kara couldn't blame him for wanting to be coquettish, but this was just poor timing and place. She even felt a wave of guilt and humiliation race through her veins like ice as she passed by the few employees. All she wanted to do was hide her face and rush to the bus, but there was something in her that knew she had to save face before they left.

Kara walked through the low lit hallway and past the few framed photographs to a scratched up door with the title "MANAGER" in bold bronze paint in the middle. She rapped on the door, waiting for a response, which she heard after a few seconds. Kara let out a relieved sigh and opened the door.

"I wanted to apologize for the behavior of my co-worker. He should not have been as amorous as he was. He knows better," Kara began. "I hope this doesn't affect any gigs in the future."

He scratched his chin and shrugged, "Not our first fight and you're lucky it was entertaining, but I'll have to see how you guys are in the future. You pulled in a large crowd, but I still have a reputation to uphold and if I'm known for having negative drama at my business, then that makes me no better than any other club in West Hollywood."

"I understand. Thank you for letting us play here for tonight."

"Have a safe drive, ma'am."

Kara nodded and thanked him before exiting out of the building and to their bus. Jimmy was still awake with Lena to tend to his injury, but Terry was plugged in, ignoring the scene while the others were already out in their beds. Kara passed by them to her room and closed the door, instantly writing in her journal. She earned the attention of Lena who followed her until the door finally closed her off.

"Wait here, keep pressure on with the ice until it stops," she instructed him. "We're ready to go when you are, Terry."

With a quick nod, Terry began to drive out of the alley and towards one of the ridiculously busy highways to their next gig in San Diego. Lena walked to the back of the bus and knocked on the thin wooden door.

"Kara, it's Lena, may I come in," she gently asked.

"Yes," she agreed from the other side. Lena opened the door and slid in, letting it swing back. She looked at Kara, who had her journal closed on her lap, the pen still in her hand.

"I'm sorry about tonight. We all are," she briefly apologized as she stood against the thin wall.

"I know," she huffed, tossing her journal behind her back, "I talked with the manager and he said he wasn't sure if he'd have us back. I... you know what I need to do." Kara rolled her head to the side and looked up at Lena, " I have to call this in before Cat gets the tabloids on you guys. So, at 8 o'clock, I'm calling her up and telling her what happened."

"Please, don't do it," Lena asked.

Kara shook her head and covered her face, "I need to, Lena, and I don't think she'll be as kind as I am. This, I think, has finished him off," she noted, the swell of emotions finally intruding her speech.

Lena watched her, her brows furrowed and her heart sinking at the thought of losing a member of their team. She nodded with an unhappy demeanor and turned to leave, "Is there anything you can do?"

"I can defend him, but this is too much. Cat doesn't let stuff like this go," she explained. "Do you know about the Resenters?"

"No," Lena curiously inquired, turning back around, "what happened to them?"

"Their lead singer got caught up in a few assaults and battery allegations slash charges and because the band couldn't part with him, we did. We don't take things like this lightly, Lena. We really don't. So when Cat finds out, he's going to be asked to leave unless he can control himself."

"But does she know about the other things he's done?"

"Yes," Kara sheepishly admitted.

"How?"

"She just finds out," she muttered.

"How?" Lena repeated with more force. When Kara undid the first three plastic buttons of her shirt, she felt a fiery annoyance flare-up through her bones. "Please, answer me."

"I…" she trailed off trying to find the right phrase.

"Were you sent here to spy on us?"

"Not entirely, but I'm here to tell Cat if you guys do anything that might be a breach of contract."

"What have you told her."

"Only a few things, they just all happen to be about Jimmy."

"What'd you tell her?" Lena asked with even more annoyance, "Why did you tell her?"

Kara opened her mouth, and looked away, "I told her about my first night with you guys and how you partied too much and Jimmy's flirtatious tendencies. When I spoke to Cat last-"

"Which was?"

"Last week," Kara admitted, "she was about ready to cancel your contract."

Lena's neck went slack as she felt the air get knocked out of her lungs. She slumped against the wall and slid down. "What?" she choked out in a whisper.

"I'm sorry, Lena, but it's my job," Kara confessed in shame.

Lena shook her head, tears in her eyes as she felt the force of full realization hit her. "Kara," she gasped, "why couldn't you just leave well enough alone?"

Kara shook her head and knelt down in front of her. Lena hid her face behind her arm as the tears finally came down. She felt Kara's arms wrap around her, but as mad as she was at Kara, Lena just clung onto her, crying into her shoulder. It had been so long since she just fell apart and even with the current circumstance of losing her future to the person comforting her, Lena just couldn't help but hold onto Kara.

"I can't believe you," she sobbed into her shoulder.

Kara nodded, a few tears peaking the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry. I swear I will protect all of you, I promise."

Lena finally pulled away from her and shook her head, "Don't make promises you can't keep," she shakily huffed. Lena wiped her remaining tears away, composing herself once more before continuing, "I won't tell the others about this conversation, but if you lose, if we lose, then your secret's out, got it?"

"Yes," Kara agreed.

Lena stood up and waited by the door, She opened her mouth, but decided against it and walked out. Looking upon her bandmates, she watched Jimmy's sleeping form shift with the bus's motion. She thought back to Jess, their time together and how she must have divulged information to Cat as well. Lena felt betrayed and like her thoughts were spiraling in an endlessly descending loop. She sat on the couch across from Jimmy and felt the blood pump to her head, her heart raced in fear and her throat began to constrict. She gripped onto her knees and bit her tongue, trying to fight off the thoughts but failing as her body shook. Kara slid into her sight again- the last person she wanted to see- and began to speak to her.

"What's going on," she whispered, her eyes darting around her features, "Come." Kara stood up and held her hands out, "Just breath, Lena, and tell me what's up."

Lena took her hand and followed her to the back room again. She was sitting down on the bed while Kara squatted before her, holding onto her arms. Her eyes searched the minor cuts and marks lowly lit from the cheap bulbs as Kara whispered phrases to her out of comfort.

Lena finally found her voice again, "I can't breathe," she panicked.

Kara nodded, fear behind those eyes; even though she hid her faults well. She sat next to her, "It's okay," she whispered, rubbing her back.

Lena shook her head, "It's not, and you know it."

Kara remained silent, holding her hand as the older woman's shaky breaths filled the quiet drive. She was right, and Kara knew it, everything was not alright. She breached their trust and it tore her apart to be in this position. This was not one of her finer moments, and now she had to find a way to make it up to them.

Kara awoke to the long beeping of her alarm. She sprung awake, noticing how Lena slumped down next to her and turned it off. There was little time for her to compose herself for the early morning call to Cat. Lena sat up slowly, resting on her elbows and watching her before she reached for her wrist. Kara glanced at her hand, waiting for the final minute to tick over. She set her phone down, not breaking eye contact with it.

"Please don't leave," she requested. Lena only nodded and sat up as Kara searched through her contact list for Cat. She watched her as the phone was pressed against her ear. "Hello, Ms. Grant. Good morning, ma'am… Yes… Well," she began, glancing at Lena, "I need to tell you about what happened last night before you hear it from the tabloids… Yes… I'm sorry but-... I understand, Ms. Grant, but you need to hear me out…" Kara waited for a moment and began, "It was a case of poor place and time. Jimmy wasn't really doing anything out of the ordinary, in fact, from my point of view, he was actually being polite to the young woman when her boyfriend came by and just socked him in the nose, err, hit him." Kara waited for a moment, her features faulting in worry after the story. "I understand… I will, and I know. I…" Kara looked at Lena again, pain in her eyes, "I would, thank you, Ms. Grant." Kara ended the call and placed her phone on her duffle bag. "We're safe."

"Thank you," she whispered, pulling her in close for a hug. "Thank you."

Kara just nodded, pulling away after a moment, her heart still beating rapidly from her conversation with Cat. "Just be careful next time. Anyway, it's only 8:10, let's go get some breakfast and relax until the concert."

"Okay," Lena nodded, waiting for Kara to stand up.

She started to reach her hand out to Kara, but quickly changed it so she pretended to fix her sleeve, a nervous skipping beat of her heart. "I'm sorry for all of the childish stuff we've been doing."

"It's fine," she chuckled. "Hey, can I just… have a moment to change before we go out?"

"Sure, they'll take a while, anyway."

Kara nodded and reached for her journal. Lena always found it curious that their assistant still wrote in a diary- or "Journal" as Danvers corrected. She wondered what had happened on the other end and why she decided to be so quick about what happened on the other side of the phone. Lena darted her eyes around the narrow area and shook Mark and Winn awake before throwing a pillow at Jimmy.

"We're going to Denny's, wake up and get ready. After that, we're heading to the hotel and then to the bar."

"How long are we staying?" Winn yawned, sitting up and hitting his head on the ceiling. "Shoot."

"What your head," Kara interrupted, "two more days. Behave yourselves because I want to have fun, too."

"Are we gonna get schwasted in San Diego?" Mark asked from his cot.

"I sure hope so," Winn smirked.

"No, just buzzed. We can't afford to do that in public. The new rule is to save the heavy drinking for private. I just got off the phone with Ms. Grant and she says that after the tour, we have an early morning meeting with her to discuss your contract. Does that make sense?" She earned no response, not even from Lena who stood dumbfounded by her bed, "I'll take that as a yes. Let's eat and unpack." Kara closed her eyes and waited for them to get changed out of their travel clothes.

Kara really enjoyed San Diego, especially after their most recent concert. Their hotel was only a five-minute drive from Coronado Beach, which allowed them- on their second night- to visit it. It was a beautiful area with soft sand and rolling hills before you happened upon the edge of the water. Mark and Winn spent their time messing around by the water's edge while Jimmy was asleep on a towel with their belongings and Terry was smoking a joint by the bus when they left him.

Lena untied her shoes and shoved her socks into them as she stood up, "Join me for a walk," she requested.

"Okay, m' lady," Kara scoffed, as she pulled off her flip flops.

Lena rolled her eyes in response and began to walk towards the water's edge where the boys were before taking a sharp left turn and meandering through the packed wet sand. Kara jogged up to her, trying to catch up as they took their walk.

"What's up?" Kara asked.

"I just wanted to have some girl time," she sighed, "and I wanted to ask you about the conversation with Cat."

Kara stopped in her tracks, her hands shoved into her pockets, as she looked at Lena. "I've never been to a Pacific beach."

"Water's freezing cold here. I wouldn't recommend getting in unless there's a wet suit on you."

"Can't be that bad, the boys are in there?"

"Go for it then," Lena taunted, leaning over to roll up her pants. Kara smirked and walked over to the edge of the water, stepping in and instantly jumping back. Lena began to laugh, leaning back at Kara's reaction before jogging in after her. "It's just a bit cold, right?"

"Yeah, just a little."

Lena walked until she was mid-calf in and put her hands in her pockets, looking out at the low sun. She looked over her shoulder at Kara who was still by the edge of the water. "Come on, get in," she beckoned.

"I'm just trying to get used to it."

"Get used to it quicker," Mark scoffed as he picked her up and carried her into the water.

"OH MY GOD, PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN!" Kara shrieked through breathless giggles.

Mark shifted her from the bridal carry, to over his shoulder as he walked deeper. He set her down in the water where she was knee-high in the water. "Okay."

"MARK!" she yelled with a playful punch to his solid shoulder.

Lena continued to boisterously laugh alongside the others as she splashed them. Kara shrieked again and splashed her back. "I'm in regular clothes, Lena!"

"Yeah, so am I," she playfully told her with another larger splash the drenched her friend's stomach.

Kara gasped at the freezing water and then the cool air that caught her shirt before she splashed her back. She lunged at the mostly dry woman, pushing them both into the shallow freezing water. Kara jumped up and smoothed her dark blonde hair out, Lena pulled herself out of the water, black hair a mess with tendrils stuck to her lips and cheeks. She pulled her hair out of her face and glanced at the others in disbelief at what had just happened. Kara giggled to herself before getting attacked at her hips by Winn, forcing her butt first back into the water.

"Water is in all the wrong places," Kara huffed as she stood back up, readjusting her shorts. As she saw Lena load up for another splash, Kara cried, "Ah, uncle, uncle!"

"What?"

"I give up," Kara breathlessly giggled as she rang out her shirt. "Terry's gonna be pissed when we walk onto the bus."

Lena shrugged and took off her shirt, tossing the soaking wet mess at Mark's face. "Can you boys hang those up, us girls are gonna have a walk to dry off."

"Of course, princess," he teased with a wide grin.

Kara shook her head, "I'll let it dry on me."

"M'kay, have a fun time."

"Thanks," she responded as she trudged out of the water.

Lena followed her close behind as she squeezed the water out of her black hair. "Well, now you've had your first taste of the Pacific."

"Yeah," she laughed as they finally got out of the water. "God, this is so uncomfortable."

"Ditto," Lena tittered, "I'm surprised you got me."

"Well, I was thinking, "I'm already soaked, why not go all in?" and you were there and still pretty dry unlike Winn and Mark so, easy target?"

"Went a bit kamikaze, though?" she scoffed, checking over her shoulder and watching as Jimmy was being woken up with Mark wringing out her shirt over his face."Oh god, look."

Kara turned around as well to see Jimmy sprung awake. She snickered to herself as he wiped off his face and took Lena's shirt, listening to whatever Mark was telling him. Kara looked back to the beach ahead of them as she shivered with a new breeze.

"So, I take it you do not want to talk about your conversation?"

"Not really. Not yet," she corrected. "Maybe someday, but at this point, it doesn't really matter."

Lena nodded and looked at the holes made by burrowing crabs from every moment the water came in. As she tried and failed, to shove her hands into her pocket, Lena decided to fold them behind her back, looking up at the pink and yellow clouds. Silence fell between them, but it was very much different from the one that settled during their conversation about Kara's job of spying. This version was peaceful and mellow, tender from their mutual understanding of confidentiality.

Kara glanced around the room, eyes darting from Lena's grey-green eyes then down to her pink lips and back. They curled back up over the profile of her nose then to the corner of her sharp jawline. Distinct characteristics that were ingrained in Kara's mind as clear as day. Kara stopped in her tracks again, glancing at Lena as she continued walking along the edge. Without looking back, Lena slowed down as well. She tipped her head down and glanced back to where Kara's footprints should have been, tracking her eyes back until they met back with the blonde woman's soaked form.

"Ready to go back?" she asked.

"I just want to sit," Kara answered with a shivering shrug, as she checked her watch, "At least until we need to leave." She sat down on the packed sand, waiting for Lena to join her.

The brunette nodded, a small smile peeking at her lips. "Okay," she agreed, sitting down next to her, comically noting, "Not like my butt could get any wetter." Kara scoffed at the remark and slid closer to her. Lena noticed and went back on her elbows. "Still cold?"

"Yeah, I thought San Diego was supposed to be perfect?"

"It is, you're just soaked to the bone," she nonchalantly noted.

"So, um… do you usually have, like, panic attacks?" Kara asked.

"They're really just anxiety attacks," Lena clarified, "but not as often. When I was younger, I would get anxious about my future or my friendships, but as I got older, I found a way to cope."

"I'm sorry," Kara nodded.

"Why?"

"Because I know that I had a hand in making you feel that way."

"True," Lena admitted, nudging Kara with her shoulder, "but you also helped me through that episode." She glanced at her from the corner of her eye, noticing how her words did little to console her, "Look, it's not that bad anyway, trust me. I got through it and survived like I always do. What about you, any triggers I should know to avoid?"

Kara shrugged, "Not really, just play nice."

"Play nice?"

"Yeah," she shrugged, "I'm not a very resilient person in my private life." Kara looked at the steady waves as she admitted, "I have a soft spot for those near me and… I would risk anything to protect those I love, no question."

"How noble," Lena teased with a hint of sincerity.

"It's stupid."

"If that's what you think, but I grew up with people who wanted nothing to do with me, so having someone here who would be as chivalrous as you is a pleasant gift of life."

"Thank you," Kara whispered, a deep blush covering her ears and cheeks as they traded fleeting glances. "Um… so, I… er, would I be wrong to ask… can I… never mind," she quickly changed. "It's so beautiful here."

Lena smirked to herself, trying to find the confidence to ask her what she was about to ask, but the question getting stuck in her throat. She lulled her head to the side instead and looked at her. The words finally escaped her lips a few moments too late for her liking.

"Would you be wrong to ask, what?"

Kara shook her head and sat up. She shifted herself around to face her and took a moment before she began in a flurry of statements and questions, "I mean, it's nothing, it really isn't. But with propinquity… I'm just unsure about how you feel, or even how I feel. Maybe I am, I just wanted to say that-," Kara struggled to finish.

Lena rolled her head back to the center and pulled herself up with Kara's arm until she was in a sitting position. She reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"

"Can I kiss you," Kara nervously asked.

"Mhm," Lena affirmed in a gentle tone.

She leaned over, placing her hand on the blonde woman's legs, and tenderly placed a kiss on her cheek. Lena glanced into her blue eyes before she pecked her jaw. She then pressed a more sure kiss against her lips. As she pulled away, Lena looked back into her eyes. She stood up and kissed her forehead, holding her hand out.

Kara took it and stood up, swiftly pulling herself close enough until they were a breath apart. Her eyes darted around Lena's sharp features before she leaned her head forward to kiss her again. She felt hands nervously search their way to her waist before they trailed down to her hips and found purchase on her belt.

Their lips were locked for a long while, trading- with great passion- the months of waiting and patience, the tension that built and festered in annoyance and finally love. Kara tentatively broke away for a brief breath before kissing her again.

Lena pulled back- her eyes still closed- and hummed a giggle before she looked at her. She took Kara's hand and pressed her wrist against her lips for a gentle kiss. Her hands almost shook as she kept her lips against her skin before lowering them.

"So," Lena nervously began with a shy smile on her face, "we should go back to the bus."

"Yeah," she agreed with a brief nod as they meandered back to their towels and shoes.

They walked in slight silence, trying to keep themselves composed until they were in a more private area. Kara just wanted to ask her questions about their kiss and if it meant that they were in a relationship.

As they neared their spot, only a few feet away, Lena lightly pinched her shoulder and joked, "You're a pretty good kisser, from the brief amount of contact we had," she whispered in a flirty tone, "maybe we can see what else you can do?"

"Oh my god," Kara blushed.

She grabbed her shoes and socks while Jimmy rolled up his towel. Lena pulled on her own shoes and tossed her shirt over her shoulder. She looked over at the bus, spotting the boys talking with Terry and passing around his joint. All for the better, really, because from her experience with them, Mark usually fell asleep and Winn went into a fit of giggles before finally crashing with Jimmy.

Kara smiled at Lena, stealing a few strokes of her hand before finally catching the attention of their co-workers. Mark scratched his beard as he gave the hand-rolled joint back to its owner. He had a towel wrapped around his shoulders with a fresh shirt and light grey joggers on. Winn hopped onto the bus with Jimmy a few strides behind. Terry finished off his joint with a long suck before stomping the last bits of paper into the ground. He walked over to the door and let out a breath that gave the illusion that his mouth was on fire as he hopped into his spot.

The two ladies walked on to the bus, instantly getting to Kara's room to change. Lena closed the door behind herself and began to pull off her wet clothes. She slung her pants on the empty portion of the rack, now only clad in her wet underwear and bra. She playfully walked up behind Kara to wrap her shirt around the blonde woman's stomach and tugged her close. With her lips against Kara's neck, she stood up on her toes and kissed her ear.

"You know," she whispered as she set herself back down, "when I first met you I thought you were so stunning, and after that first day," Lena continued while Kara turned around to face her, "I knew you'd fit in."

"That's all?" Kara flirted back, punctuating her newfound confidence with a peck on her jaw.

Lena moved back, "Well, it also kind of turned me on to see you easily take on your role as a leader," she admitted with a nervous chuckle.

Kara wrapped her hands around the back of the brunette's neck, as she kissed her back, gently leaning against her until the bus jolted forward. She braced herself against the mattress as Lena fell against her. They chuckled a bit, letting their joyous laughter fill the air before Kara kissed her again.


	3. Chapter 3

Kara sat down on her bed, glancing at Lena as she rested on the covers, her phone over her stomach. For the first time since the beginning of their tour, Kara found them actually tired post-performance. She tore her attention away from her girlfriend and to the map on her phone. They had really been pushing it and Kara could tell from their performance on stage. It had been too long since they were able to rest, two weeks to be exact.

Once they left Washington, Terry would drive them through the different venues and would sleep on the bus until they needed to drive to the next one. It really worried Kara, but she knew that once they got on to the last leg of their tour, their travel time would go back down and, just like the next two nights in Pittsburg, they could rest up until they got back to New York.

She took off her shoes and rested in the empty space next to Lena, closing her eyes for a brief moment before she felt the bed shift and her girlfriend's arms wrap around her. Kara smiled and turned to face her, meeting those gentle green eyes. They looked like old jade misted with morning dew. Her own eyes flicked from feature to feature of the woman in her arms. She craned her neck over and pecked her lips.

Lena smiled against her lips and stayed longer as she reached a hand up to stroke her jaw. Kara pulled her head back and pulled a few tendrils of her girlfriend's dark hair out of her eyes and off her neck.

"What's going to happen when we get back to New York?" she asked, a nervous crack in her usually confident demeanor.

"I'm not sure," she whispered.

Kara pressed her forehead against Lena's and kissed her again, "I don't want this to be casual, and you know me, I need to know what we're doing."

"I know, you're really structured and I enjoy that about you, but I'll be in the country until mid-December, then I go back home," she explained, If it weren't for Kara's obviously anxious eyes, Lena would have just finished but she added, "But I'll be back by the 3rd of January."

Kara nodded and solemnly stated, "Okay."

Her girlfriend furrowed her brows and got up onto one elbow, "Why the long face?"

"I just… it's nothing."

Lena leaned over and kissed her, "I'll still be here for another four months."

"True," she nodded. Kara wrapped her hand around the back of her girlfriend's neck and kissed the corner of her jaw, then her lips and finally her forehead before she released her. "I don't know why I'm so worried. I love you." The words escaped her lips faster than she thought, but there was no going back for her.

Lena looked down at her and kissed her again, "I love you, too."

Kara was glad to be back home. So much time had passed and she really wasn't ready to go back on desk duty when it wasn't for Cat. Either way though, she was going to have to see her talk about Jimmy. Danvers slid out of her room and to the kitchen. She found Lena still asleep on the couch where she had left her, a blanket pulled up to her chin. Kara quickly made breakfast, trying not to let the noise disturb her girlfriend. She placed a soft kiss against her forehead before escaping out of the apartment.

She was quick to jump onto every bus she needed, her route burned into her mind to the moment she was in now, just mindlessly jumping from bus to bus until she stood two blocks from her work. Never had she truly dreaded walking into that building- that includes the time she was ten minutes late from her transportation.

Every thought that passed through her mind as she stared up at the black glass and metal building took her through the possible conversations she might have with Cat from her optimistic slaps on the wrist to the more dramatic outcomes that could result in their release from Catco. Kara walked through the doors and raced through her new route to her desk, untouched from her time away, but surprisingly clean. The only thing that was out of place was a printed memo on her keyboard from Cat's new assistant.

"I wanted to talk to you about Legion of Dax as soon as you get here. If I am not in my office, wait on the couch until I return. From what you have told me, Jimmy was fairly innocent in the fight but has had other moments that breach their contract specifying conduct. I am willing to hear you plead your case.

Dictated by Cat Grant"

Kara folded the paper and took her belongings with her to the elevator and up to the top floor. She met ten different people on her way up, each moving on to their placement in the business. Her ride finally finished with two others who had hopped on with her from the fourth floor. Kara followed the opening of the desks to Cat's office. She rapped on the new assistant's desk, grabbing the young woman's attention immediately.

"Good morning, Kara for Ms. Grant?"

"Wait here, Ms. Grant will be back soon," she nodded, going back to her computer.

Kara walked into her boss's office waiting for her to finally end her usual power move of making her guests wait. She almost wanted to check her watch, but getting paid to do nothing was way better than working. In her mind, Kara went over her thoughts and talking points that could save them- and in turn, save her. At least, she heard the rhythmic clicking of heels on the fashionably unfinished concrete floor. She cocked her head to the side and waited for her to close the door, which did not happen in time.

"So, how was the rest of their tour?" Cat broke in, walking past her employee to the desk.

"It was really great. We had a quick and safe drive home. Terry returned the bus at the proper mileage and we got their gear back to their proper places," Kara informed her with a small smile.

"Do they rent?"

"Lena and Jimmy do, but Winn doesn't. The other gear is yours," she nodded.

"So, you know why you're here?"

"Yes, the thing that happened in Hollywood."

"Exactly," Cat huffed, placing her glasses on her face as she pulled out the report. "As you know, we have to investigate exactly what happened and, luckily for them, they made MTV, People, and Us. It was only small tabloids but any news is good news right?" Cat sarcastically retorted. She glanced up, almost expecting a response, but continued on, "I think you'll enjoy these titles," she scoffed with a flick of the cheap magazine paper. "'Legion of Doom: The Fall of a Budding Band', 'What Comes Up Must Come Down: Has Legion of Dax Faltered?', 'Catco Catfight: Another Fight from Notable Record Label'. Oh, and here's my favorite, 'Another One Bites the Dust: The End of Legion of Dax?'. I think they had a good idea with that title. What do you think, Kara?"

She sat in her chair, speechless and breath were taken away from her aggressive tactics. Kara almost wanted to shrink away and take back her promise, but it meant too much to her to save these misfits. With a quick breath, she plastered a small grin on her lips- learned from the best- and spun the titles placed in front of her.

"I think they're just a bit too ambitious to jump onto anything that seems to put off smoke. I mean, when was the last time one of our bands made it into outdated tabloids?"

"I would hardly call MTV or People outdated," Cat muttered, "but regardless, I would rather see the news that praised their music than picked up their messes." She sat back in her chair and shrugged, "Why should I let them stay, Kara?"

Danvers sat up and looked at the clippings. She slid her hand to Us Weekly's clipping. It was a picture of them walking from a bar in Dallas. Jimmy was talking with Winn while Mark was lighting a cigarette at the front of the pack. She and Lena weren't there. That was a night burned into her mind.

It was probably the first time they had fought. Fairly good time, too. After two months of traveling with them, Kara had grown tired of their shenanigans and snapped at her roommate. That night, Lena excused them both from the party and spent time trying to get to know her. It was a side of her that she hadn't seen before. In their turmoil, Lena had found a way to keep herself disciplined and resolved their tiff.

"Kara," Cat interrupted, a look of concern cracking her indomitable façade.

"Yes, sorry," she nodded. "Because they add something that most of your other bands lack."

"And what's that?"

"Charm, humility, individuality, and an exponentially ensured future."

Cat collected the papers once the air settled between them. She looked up at Kara and gave her a smile.

"I'm glad you learned a bit from me and your friends. I won't end their contract, but they have to spend their off time rebuilding what they lost in California."

"Yes, ma'am," Kara agreed, "Can I make a quick call to the band, then?"

"Yes, Kara," Cat agreed, the smile disappearing back to her usual look.

Kara nodded and excused herself from the glass office and sped to the elevator and calling up Lena. She slammed the button to her level with her knuckle while her phone was pressed against her ear. After a few rings, Lena picked up.

"Hey, what's up?" she whispered.

"I just got out of the meeting with Cat," Kara warily explained, "What's going on?"

"We're in the recording studio right now. I'm outside of the booth. How-"

"What are you recording?" Kara inquired as she walked out of the elevator. "Sorry, continue?"

"How'd the meeting go?" she asked, leaning against the dark red hallway.

"Really well, we agreed to keep your contract, we just have to continue to be careful, nothing bad for a while, will you tell the boys?"

"Of course," Lena promised. She glanced down either side of the hallway and fiddled with the doorknob before asking, "Do you want to hear what we're making?"

"Yeah."

"Winn's in there right now, recording his piece, but this is one I wrote a while ago, listen in," she invited, walking back into the booth. Jimmy was listening to the rough recording Mark and she had thrown together before they began their official recording. Lena walked to Mark- resting her hand on his shoulder- and asked, "Can Kara listen?"

"Is she on the phone?"

"Yeah," Lena nodded, putting her on speaker.

"Kara, how's it been?"

"Good, it's nice to be back home. I'm surprised you guys are already back to work."

"Gotta make money somehow," Jimmy piped in.

Lena nodded and pressed the button to the microphone, "Hey, Winn, can you try the main vocals?"

"Sure, thing," he nodded, flipping a few papers before giving her a thumbs up.

Lena played the recording and stood by the speakers for Kara to hear. She smiled as Winn sang, listening to the way his voice carried the lower notes and passionately announced the higher more important parts of the chorus. He confidently bobbed to the music, quietly dancing during the music break until he sang again. Winn's voice cracked during one of the longer notes, making him playfully yelp and give out a hearty laugh. Mark chuckled to himself, gripping the bridge of his nose and stop the music.

"It was pretty good until that part," he laughed from the recording booth before vocalizing the note again.

Mark pressed the button," I know you can hit that note, you just gotta attack it more."

Winn nodded and practiced the bars leading up to the note, ending up a half step too high, "Ooh, nope." He tried again, getting it right, "There we go."

"Anyway," Lena segwayed, turning the phone back to her ear with the speaker off, "that's how it's been. I've got two more songs, but we might only get through half of the next one today. We're taking a break at one and heading to Lionel's, want to join us?"

"Yeah," Kara agreed. "Good luck, babe. Love you."

Lena blushed and affirmed, "I love you, too, and thank you."

Kara ended the call at her desk, satisfied with the work she had done.


End file.
